I ultimately want to live a life where I can have a treat once in a while, but I would love it if the treat I wanted was healthy as well 95% of the time.
This is a wonderful goal to want happen. I find that when I medicate myself with overly processed foods that is what I crave without mercy like a switch has been turned on and I don't have the remote. But when I eat healthy foods, exercise, and actually taste what I am eating I do crave healthy foods. Even as "treats".
My two vices happen to be healthy... wine and dark chocolate... but I have to be vigilant about keeping them in their place. Making them the exception and not the rule.
How long did it take for this change to happen for you? What were your eating habits like before? Did you eat a lot more "fake food" and refined and junk?
I'm asking because I'm working on changing over to eating this way, but I struggle with cravings and habits right now which tend to derail me. I am working on planning around them, and I know that will help, but I am also hoping/waiting for the day when the yucky stuff really starts to seem yucky most of the time.
I ultimately want to live a life where I can have a treat once in a while, but I would love it if the treat I wanted was healthy as well 95% of the time.
-Sara
Gosh I have to think back! I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I started to really look at labels. I've always loved veggies and fruit and lentils and what-not, but I was fooling myself on other things that I thought were healthy. I ate a lot of white pasta, a lot of bread, and a lot of frozen meal stuff. I never actually thought about the refined sugars that I was eating. When I cut them all out, I also moved over to a more raw style of eating. It must've taken about a month, maybe two. It's hard to say as I was so focused on just losing weight for so long. I was just explaining to a friend that it just sort of evolved into what it is now. It's quite gradual. Of course, before I never paid attention to my body so one day I would have a donut and wonder what my problem was an hour later. I had to start picking up on the signals.
My tastes have changed too! I think it happened over the course of about 3 or 4 months of clean eating.
I find that I don't like overly sweet or salty foods at all and can taste sugar in things like storebought pasta sauces - I never reallized they had sugar in them before until I started reading labels. Now I make my own sauce.
I use to eat microwave popcorn - now the smell makes my stomach turn, same with movie popcorn. I make air popped corn with a bit of butter and some chili or paprika seasoning.
I used to like donuts but now find them sickly sweet and unsatisfying as a snack.
I don't like milk chocolate anymore since I embraced the dark (chocolate) side
I no longer enjoy sour cream dips or toppings for potatoes. A plain baked potato with a teeny bit of real butter and some pepper do the trick now.
I can't eat chips as I find them too salty and oily.
I can't eat fast food or my body rebels and I feel sick after eating it.
Funny thing is that I don't miss any of those things at all - I really enjoy the food I'm eating and don't feel deprived of anything.
That's crazy, Mauvaisroux! I love popcorn, but cannot stand microwaved popcorn anymore. I recently began popping my own and it's one of my favorite snacks.
Rabbitt, I just left the Border's bookstore tonight and passed by a ColdStone Creamery Ice Cream shop. I wasn't even tempted AT ALL, because all I kept thinking about was my TREAT that was waiting for me at home: a soothing cup of Earl Grey tea, a creamy cup of Vanilla Soymilk, some sweet Rainier cherries and a rich square of Lindt's dark chocolate! These are my relaxing treats, after the kids are in bed and before I take my shower and go to bed. I make a ritual of it, you know? I enjoy each one of these slowly, and in their own right. I don't rush through them to get to devour the next thing.
It'll happen for you. The thing that really helps me is to take the time to enjoy my food. Savor the flavors of them, instead of scoffing them down in a matter of seconds! That dark chocolate...mmm mmm mmmmmmm
Oooh, the cherries are sooooo good right now. We've been munching on TONS of them. We keep thinking we're overbuying, and they are gone in a heartbeat.
Cherries and chocolate are yummy, too. Last night hubby cut up (pitted) a bunch and then shaved a little bit of nice dark chocolate on them... sooo good.
See, I like this stuff when I actually get to eating it. It is just not my habit/instinct. Maybe it never will be instinctual, I dunno. But I'm sure it can be my habit, helped by not having the cruddy stuff in the house.
Now if the baby would just stop kicking me and make her way out into the fresh air. hehe
Cherries and chocolate are yummy, too. Last night hubby cut up (pitted) a bunch and then shaved a little bit of nice dark chocolate on them... sooo good.
Whoooooo hooooo! Gonna try that!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rabbitt
Now if the baby would just stop kicking me and make her way out into the fresh air. hehe
-Sara
I know exactly what you mean! With DD #1, it felt like she was tickling my bladder all the time! Nothing too painful, but just wierd! I miss that, though. Can't wait to do it again! Well, after I lose this weight, of course!
Like others here, I've been eating many of the "SuperFoods" for a while now, even prior to becoming familiar with the book. The biggest change I've noticed is just that I focus more on maximizing nutritional benefit by the food choices I make, rather than focusing primarily on weight loss.
That being said, I will still have the occasional donut/processed food/fast food if I listen to my body and that's what it really wants. I suppose my desire for these foods may diminish over time (I've had this happen w/ sugar in the past) but I believe there's still a place for them in my plan.
Another thing I like about superfoods/whole foods is that the focus is on getting as much nutrition in as possible, rather than skimming the less healthy stuff. It's a refreshing switch to an abundance mentality instead of the scarcity mentality, which is usually what's found in weight loss initiatives. Rather than say "I can't have this, and I can't have this", we're saying, "How can I get more? How can I squeeze some of that in?"
I love it. It's just what I needed at this point in my weight loss.
Another thing I like about superfoods/whole foods is that the focus is on getting as much nutrition in as possible, rather than skimming the less healthy stuff. It's a refreshing switch to an abundance mentality instead of the scarcity mentality, which is usually what's found in weight loss initiatives. Rather than say "I can't have this, and I can't have this", we're saying, "How can I get more? How can I squeeze some of that in?"
I love it. It's just what I needed at this point in my weight loss.
Yes, that was/is exactly how I felt! It was a huge switch to eating rather than NOT EATING. I love that - abundance mentality I might start a whole new spin off thread!!
I have to agree that my taste buds have changed as well. I remember about 5 years ago, it was hard for me to eat my veggies unless they were covered with cheese. I used to eat lots of fruit but veggies were a challenge. It took quite a few months before I learned to like veggies as a regular staple and a quite a few months after that to LOVE them and I wouldn't imagine a meal without them.
I remember the last time I had a dessert at a restaurant and I thought it was way too sweet and really wasn't worth it. I couldn't imagine me turning down dessert but I do. I would also buy food that I used to LOVE and realize that I no longer loved it. Anyway, it does take a while but your body will adjust. I never really realized it was happening until I would eat things that I really liked at one point and then realize that they didn't taste as good as I thought they did.
This is very true Nelie. Even though I just recently got on the whole foods/super foods kick, I found my taste buds changed dramatically after two year of living in Korea and eating more Korean food. Desserts are too sweet for me most of the time...(sometimes I still have something) but I much prefer fruit for dessert. BF loves to cut up fruit for us after dinner and we sit with little forks enjoying.
Making them the exception and not the rule.
I think it happened over the course of about 3 or 4 months of clean eating.
Can't wait to do it again! Well, after I lose this weight, of course!
